Subaqueous rock-breaker.



0.I L.v ROWLAND. sUBAQUEoUs R001; BREAKER.

.APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 3, 1903. 907,407. i

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

my, @agata C. L. ROWLAND.

SUBAQUEGUS ROCK BRBAKER. APYLIGATION rILED SEPT. a. 190s.

907,407. l Patented Dec. 1908. 3 SHEET HET 2. J

v Fw

'n ummM ing in a vertical guide-way, caisson or tube wedge that rests on the rock to be broken.

rigidly attached thereto.

' the rock breaking is a side elevation of a oat showing t showing the method of attaching the impact CHARLES L. ROWLAND,

0F NEwYonK, N. Y.

Y sunAQUnoUs noon-Bananen.

`4 `Specification of Letters Patent.

rateted'nec. 22, laos.

Application filed September 3, 1903. Serial No. 171,791.

To all lwhom 'it may concern'.

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. RowLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improuements .in Subaque- .-1 ous Rock-Breakers, of which the following'is aspeeification his' invention relates to sub-aqueous rock breakersv in which a weight or hammer travel-f acts upon a rock breaking chisel point or In thea paratus constructed in accordance with 't s invention the device, ha

chisel, point or wedge an that is acted upon by the hammer is carried at the lower end of the guide way, caisson or ltube and has a movement, independently and longitudinallythereof. One advantage of such an organization is that, when the blow is struck by the hammer, the caisson is not subjected to shocks and strains which would tend to disrupt its joints, or to break away from its end, the'rock breakingfdevice were it Aside fromA this, the invention comprises other features of. novelty hereinafter set forth in detail. In the accompanying drawings: Fig-lure 1 e arrangement and voperation of this roved a paratus; Fig. 2 is a cross section t ereof; Fig. 3 is a plan view of theoat sho the locationof the o erating mechanism; F1 4, a central vertical.) sectional view ofthe ho ow caisson containing the hammer and carrying the chisel or rock breaking device; Fig.y 5, a cross sectional View of the same; Fig. 6,. a sectional view of thel end of the 'hammer plate; and F 71a central vertlcal sectional' view of a molied form of caisson and rock cutting chisel.

. The oat or hull 1 may b e of any desirable construction and has at a-central point .a well or openin 2 through which plays and is adjusted a ammer iide way, 'tube` or. caisson 2f* containin t'e hammer 3, and made up of sections 4 olted together to form a caisson of any desired length. The upper section has 'lateral lugs 5 carrying-shoes 6 which straddle and run on Ways 7 secured to the inner faces of vthe vertical timbersor'I guide 'frame 8 ofa `derrickv9. The upper endV of caisson is in Fig. 4 Aclosed -by anv air tight cap 10, havin1gan opening for pesil head is provided with a seated throu h the Walls sage of a rod or Wire rope 11 around Wliich a stuffing box 12 is applied. tion forming the lowerl end secured to it a ring 12 with an annular seat 13 forthe reception of a buffer 14 of rubber or some similar substance; and .through the of the buffer and the ring plays the o. sliank 1'5 of the rock breaking device Icom# posed of a point' 16 of appro riate shape, a head `17 andjinterveninv s ank 15. The ardened anvil or plate 18, to 'receive the im act ofthe hammer, and having on its un er face a lug 19 in a socket in the head, One, or more, of the tubularsecti'onsv is provided with a manhole 20 to afford access for'altera- The tubular sec-4 of the caissen'has tions and repairs, andV each section is channeled or grooved,as at 21, to form Wearing strips 22 and reduce the friction of the ham-L mer on the tube while the grooves-` form air passages offering opportunities for the circuation of the air as the hammer changes its position .in the caisson. Thel play of the srank of the .rock breaker lieves the tube of the jar in the ring 12 rei', or shockacicompany g impact of the hammer on the anvil,

thereby obviating strains on the caisson.

The hammer 3 is shown as having severalv S23 to secure a minimum of. anfgi'these rlngs` are united Vby thel bearingl friction; body pro er of the hammer, While tothe lower endp' 24 identical With the face 18 of the anvil head 1 7, but held in place by a.bolt 25 passing tube to prevent the entrance of Water-in. case l weakening and disluptive i is secured a hardened tip orshoe of' the 'socket in the lower siiA of imperfect joints, and an air pump may be provided at some convenient pointon the oat.

As'shown'in Figi/1, the channels. 21 in the interior'face of the caisson terminate above ,the head 17 of the rock breakin device or chisel. :The compressed air Wil .ea'kpast" y101s. neumatic cushion for 'the head .17

the head 17 and shank 15 preventin trance of'water, andi at, the same time a ord-` When "f en down by the hammer'.

In Fig'l- 7 a= pipe 52-"isv shown-'for directly delivering compressed air below the head or `iiange 47 ofv thefrock breaking device, and'in such case the blow ofthe lio.)

A drop, The oscillating engines 36 are geared compressed air tank on the float. The pressure of air below the head 17 Fig. 4, or 47 Fig. 7 may be such as to exclude water and yet not alford any substantial resistance to. the blow of the hammer, serving merely as a cushion.'

, At each corner of' the float is a windlass or drum 28 to receive and wind one end of a chain 29 whose other end after passing under m pulley 28u on the bottom of the iioat is se-l cured to one of the four perforated lugs 30 of a collar 31 encircling. the lower end of the tube or caisson. These devices afford a means located below the float for ei'lecting accurate vertical disposition of the caisson and cutter point 16. On the float is a steam enerator 32 from which pipes 33 and 34 ead steam to the engine 35 and the two engines 36, 36. The engine is geared with a Winding drum 37 around which passes the' rope or cable 11;. or, in case a rod is used through the stulling box 12, the cable is secured to-it at some point below the pulley 38 in the top of the derrick frame. A suitable' tripping or releasing device is connected with the drum 37 to let the hammer in the caisson With hoisting drums 39 at the base of the vertical timbers 8 of the lderrick. These drums carry the cables or chains 40 which are supported on each side of the uprights 8 by the pulleys 41 in the upper end of the derrick and are secured one at each sideol' the caisson 2Ll and to the. shoes as iss'hown in Fig. 4. When it is necessary to re-locate the chisel, or to move the float, the engines 36 are put'in -lnotion and the .caisson hoisted. In the modified arrangement shown in Fig. 7 there is a lower tube section 42 with ver tical ribs 43 and a flared opening at its lower end. To this flared end is secured a cylinder 44 in which plays the rock breaker device 45, and in the bottom of which is the buffer ring 46. The part 45, in this. form of the device, is a shell with a solid point and its to edge, or what is practically its base, is e arged as at` 47 to contain the packin 48 which is he'ld in place by the ring 49 an its bolts 50. The removable impact plate 18 is provided in the bottom ol the shell. The air within the space 51 below the flange or head 47 may be allowed to escape' and returnthrough the pipe 52 which is'supported by brackets 53 at the union of the tube sections and whose lower end is coupled with a lateral interior opening 54 in the base of the cylinder.

In additionv to the cables 29, in order to' counteract the lateral strains of tidal or other currents which tend to displace the caisson from vertical position, a series of pipes 55 may be carried by the caisson being supported in brackets 56 or otherwise. These pipes communicate with nozzles or outlets 57 arranged around .the periphery'- of the cylinder 44, and may be supplied with steam,

water or air, under pressure, and provided -with appropriate valves or cocks by which they may he independently controlled. The reaction ol the jets of steam, airor water issuing from the nozzles 57 serves to maintain the caisson against lateral displacement by current.

The caisson in 7 is provided with one or more manholes, as indicated; and its upper y end is left open, it being contemplated that, in this construction, compressed air will not be introduced into the upper part of' the caisson. There is, however, an inwardly projecting ring attached to the upper end of the caissonto limit the upward movement of theO hammer.,l A

ln Fig. 7, the interior of the caisson is not channeled, as in Fig. 5, but has inwardly projecting ribs which serve as bearings for the hammer and the spaces between which ail'ord passage for circulation of air as the position of th'el hammer in the caisson is changed.

In o aeration, the caisson is supported by the roc breaking point or chisel whichbears on the rock 'to be broken or crushed, there being, however, sufficient slack oi' thel chains 40 and when the hammer has driven the point of the rock breaker downwardly and the hammer israised, the weight of the caisson carries it down so that the rock'breaker is caused to assume its inward position in the caisson. The parts or anvil plates 18 and 24 of the rock breaking device and hammer may be removed and replaced when broken or injured by repeated impact, the hammer, in apparatus of this kind, being of considerable weight. The ability to `exert lifting .strain independently Ion the cables 40 'which support the caisson ailiords a further means for controlling its vertical position. The caisson or tube acts both as a su port and guide for the inde endently movab e rock breaking device an likewise as a guide for the hammer.

.It is closed against admission of Water to avoidloss of energy that would be consumed by dis lacement of the Water. If the compresse( air is not used to keep water out of the tube, such leakage of water as may occur, may be removed by a pump, being drawn, for instance, through pipe 52.

I claim as my invention:

1.- In a sub-aqueous rock-breaker, tne combination'o'f a vertical tube, a chisel movable through the bottom thereof, a hammer separate from the chiselv and adapted to recip- ,rocate therein and strike the chisel, means for reciprocating the hammer, and .means for keeping the tube substantially free from Water.

2. In a sub-aqueous rock breaker, a vertical tube, a chisel movable through the bottom thereof, a hammer separate from the chisel and adapted to reciprocate thercin'and strike the chisel, means for reciprocating the hammer, and means for keeping the tube substantially free from Water in combinationv With a guide frame mounted on. a hull and adapted to holdthe tube-upright while-permitting v verticalv 'movement thereof, and

means for raising and lowering the tube.

3. A subaqueous rock breaker comprising the combination of a vertically disposed tube having longitudinal ribs on its inner surface,

a chisel extending through the bottom of the tube and ca able of independent movement longitudinal yl thereof, a hammer adapted to be reciproc'ated in the` tube and traveling upon the interior ribsjthereof, means for rais-r v ing and dropping the hammer, and. means lower end of the tube and capable of movei droppingy it upon the chisel?4 i for keeping the tube substantially free from Water.v

' 4L A sub-aqueous rock breaker comprising thecombination of a vertically disposed tube ,having air passages in' its Walls7 a hammer adapted tov be reciprocated v in the tube, a vrock-breaking chisel litted in a bearing in the ment therein longitudinally of the tube, and means -fo'r raising the hammer and dropping it vuponthel chisel, and means for keeping the' tube substantially free from Water.

be reciprocated in the tube, a rock-breaking gitudinally of the' tube and having its inner end terminating adjacent the bottom ofthe tube4 and means for raising the hammer and 6..,In asubaqueous roclbieaker, the combination of a vertical tube, la chisel movable .through the bottom thereof, a hammer sepai rate lfrom the chisel and adapted to reciprocate therein and strike the chisel, means for reciprocatingthe hammer, means for keepand removable. impact ,face-pieces on the hammer andchisel.

7 A sub-aqueous rock breaker comprising the combination of a vertically disposed tube ing the tube-substantially free from'water s having closed sidewall'sa'rock breaking'- chiselvttednto move through'the bottom thereof and having 1aninner headed end, 5o

means for maintaining air pressure under the head of the chisel to exclude Water, a hammer adapted to be reciprocated in the tube andmeans for raising the hammer and dropping it upon the chisel 8': A sub-aqueous rock breaker comprising the'combination of a vertically disposed tube y having closedrside Walls, av rock breaking chisel fitted to move through the bottom thereof and having an inner headed end,

means for maintaining air pressure under the head of the chisel to exclude Water, a hammer adapted Vto bereciprocated in the tube,

means for raising the hammer and dropping it upon thechisel and a buffer inthe end of vthe tube for the head of the chisel.

` 9; A sub-aqueous rock-breaker comprising i the combination of a hull or loat, a vertically disposed tube carried thereby, a hammer adapted toreciprocate inthe tube, a chisel to Vbe struck ,byV the hammer, fitted to move through the bottom of the tubefm'eansfor raising the hammer and drop ing it upon the chisel, independent means or raising andlowening the tube and means for, keeping the tube su stantially free-from Water. 1

In testimony whereof, I' have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHARLES `L. ROWLAND.l Witnesses:

-WILLIAMA STAHLIN,

L.- F. BROWNING. 

